Chua’s men champs in division elections

Victory has lead to Dr Chua Soi Lek and Liow Tiong Lai intensifying their feud.

PETALING JAYA: The tussle for presidential post between incumbent MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek and his deputy Liow Tiong Lai intensified as the former’s men triumphed in the division elections yesterday.

Although Chua did not contest for division chief, he won a central delegate post in Batu Pahat division by obtaining 242 votes.

His son and Labis MP Chua Tee Yong, who is also a central committee member, won the Labis division chief’s post by garnering 135 votes to oust his opponent Lim Cham Kok, who only secured 20 votes.

Party secretary-general Kong Cho Ha won the Lumut division chief’s post with a whopping 245 majority, defeating division deputy chairman Ding Siew Chee, who only bagged 21 votes.

His entire team also won all the posts they contested for, netting four vice chairmen and 19 central delegates.

MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu retained his Kluang division chairman’s post, yielding 173 votes while opponent Chye Kwee Yeow obtained 94.

Party national organising secretary Tan Chin Meng retained his Ipoh Barat division chief’s post, winning 230 votes against his opponent Lee Yoke Tin’s 39.

He reportedly said the results showed that the division leaders were very strong and united, and that this was a strong warning to Lee.

He accused Lee, who is from Chua’ faction, of unfurling banners to smear him and the party leadership at the MCA headquarters, recently.

Meanwhile, in Liow’s camp, Yew Teong Look retained the Wangsa Maju divisions chief’s post by roping 122 votes to give him a 109-vote majority over his opponent. Deputy chairman Ng Kiat Ling also won by a landslide majority of 108 to 28 votes.

“All central delegates clean sweep by us including (former minister of women, family and community development) Chew May Fun,” Yew said in an SMS to FMT last night.

In recent weeks, the tussle for presidential post between Chua and Liow has intensified, with the latter openly accusing the former of being a “dictator.”

Chua has since dismissed Liow’s accusations, saying he had always given his deputy a platform to speak.

The reinstatement of former national organising secretary Tee Siew Keong, a Chua protégé, had triggered a bitter feud between the Chua and Liow, and the deputy president had to call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to reinstate Tee’s suspension.

Subsequently, the call for the meeting had failed to get past the party’s presidential council meeting on Sept 10.

Chua said there was insufficient time to conduct the EGM because the new batch of central delegates was to be elected on Sept 22, while the party secretary-general would need about 26 days to invite the current batch of delegates to attend the EGM.

Hence, the presidential council had resolved to put the EGM proposal on hold until Liow and Chua obtained a legal opinion on the matter.